- Procurement of payment cards remains held up indefinitely
The introduction of a nationwide refugee payment card is experiencing setbacks. Dataport, the company responsible for overseeing this process in Hamburg, announced that the Europe-wide bidding process won't be concluded for now. The delay is due to a complaint lodged by an unsuccessful bidder in the bidding process, which is currently being heard by the Higher Regional Court in Karlsruhe.
Dataport subsequently informed that the contract couldn't be finalized by the end of August. Initially, all appeals from unsuccessful bidders were reportedly turned down by the relevant tender committee. Due to the ongoing proceedings, no specifics about the complaint's content are disclosed.
Dataport was appointed to manage the bidding process for the proposed cross-border, cashless payment system for refugees. Following an agreement among 14 out of 16 federal states in late January, Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern decided to follow independent paths. The card is intended, among other things, to prevent payments to traffickers or families in the home countries, ease municipalities' administrative burden, and decrease incentives for irregular migration.
The Higher Regional Court in Karlsruhe is currently considering the complaint lodged by an unsuccessful bidder, which is affecting the conclusion of the bidding process overseen by The Commission, specifically Dataport. Due to this ongoing dispute, The Commission has been unable to finalize the contract for the nationwide refugee payment card.
